Coating shaft articles



Oct. 30, 1945. w. D. KMENTT COATING SHAFT ARTICLES Filed May 1, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet l w 27 snibL fildsmaa 17K men/f 7' QQQ Oct. 30, 1945. w D,KMENTT 2,388,159

COATING SHAFT ARTICLES Filed May 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wz 100 10/ 86100 we 4 A 4 o n I ,0

= M 4 s 76 I 40 Th L 25* 4 m I 7e Patented Oct. 30, 1945 UNITED STATE sPATENT OFFICE 7 2,388,159 7 COATING SHAFT ARTICLES Waldemar n. Kinentt,Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y.. acorporation'of New York Application May 1, 1944, Serial No. 533,547

face of the cross pins to which the rubber-like material is adheredprior to vulcanization of the springs, the adhesive providing a bondbetween the rubber-like material and the metal cross pin duringvulcanization of the rubber-like material.

Objects of the invention are to provide a uniform coating about thesurfaces of the articles, to provide for separation of the articles fromeach other during the coating operation, to provide for uniform freeingof the articles, and to provide facility of handling and uniformity ofresults. These and other objects will appear from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings.

f the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus constructed in accordance withand embodying the invention, parts of the apparatus being broken away,

Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1,partsbeing broken away, and

Fig. 3 is-a cross section thereof taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, partsbeingbroken away.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the escapement mechanism, parts beingbrokenaway.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral In designates the frame of theapparatus which rotatably supports a pair of horizontal parallel shaftsll, l2, each of which is provided with sprockets for supporting 'apairof'endless chains 13, l4-trained thereabout in spaced-apartrelation. Each chain is formed of links having outwardly'projecting pinsl6 for separating and propelling the articles I1. Along the lowerhorizontal reaches of the chains guide rails l8, [9 are provided forsupporting the articles, the guide rails being extended arcuately aboutthe sprockets on th shafts I2 as indicated at through an angle exceeding90. Guide rails 2|, 22am also-fixed to the frame along the lower reachesof the chains to limit lateral movement of' the articlesbeing conveyed.Along the upper reaches of the chains, rails 23-, 2311 are provided forsupporting the reaches of the chains by contact with the rollers of thechain and rails 24, 25am provided for limiting lateral movement of thearticles.

For driving the shaft I2 and thereby moving the chains along the rails,a motor 26 and speed reducer 21 are mounted on the frame. The speedreducer has a shaft 28 to which is fixed a sprocket 29, adapted to drivea sprocket 30 on shaft 12 through a chain 3|.

For coating the cylindrical articles, a shaft 40 is rotatably mounted insuitable hearings on the frame l0 and has a sprocket 4| fixed thereto.

-\The sprocket 4| i adapted tobe driven by a sprocket 42 fixed to shaftH through a chain 43. Fixed to the shaft 40 is a rotatable drum 45. Thelower part of the drum 45 engages a bath 46 of coating liquid such asrubber cement. The coating liquid is maintained at a uniform level andis contained in a tank 41, separately mounted on a frame 48, supportedby a screw jack 49 from the floor on which the frame It! rests. Thescrew jack has a vertical cylinder 50 in which a screw 5| is slideablymounted for vertical movement. A cross pin 52 in the lower end of thescrew extends through slots 53 on opposite sides of the cylinder toprevent turning of the screw while permitting limited vertical movement.A threaded nut 54 rests upon the upper end of the cylinder 50 and has ahand wheel 55 fixed thereto whereby it may be rotated to elevate thescrew 5|, the threads of which it engages. By manipulation of the handwheel 55 the depth of immersion of the drum may be regulated.

For maintaining the level of the bath 46 of liquid in'the tank 41 afeeding fountain is provided,

and this comprises a container closed at its upper end and open at thebottom as seen in Fig. 7 1. A removable lid 60a closes the bottom of thecontainer and has a valve opening 6| adapted to be closed by a valve 62.The valve 62 has a stem 62a to which is attached a weight 63. Thecontainer 60 has a bail 60b by which it may be carried. The arrangementis such that the container 60 may be removed from the machine, inverted,and filled with coating liquid. The cover 60a may then be secured andthecontainer may then be placed over the tank 41 as shown. The weight 63causes the valve 62 to normally close the opening 6| when the container60 is in the position shown but removed from the machine, but when thecontainer is placed over the tank 41 as shown, the weight 63 strikes thebottom of thetank 41 and opens the valve 62. Thereafter 'as liquid is"removed from the the oppositeicylindricallends 'o'f'the articles;

tank 41 a supply of liquid flows from the container 60 to maintain aconstant level in the tank 41.

Rotatably mounted about the shaft 40 in such spaced-apart relation as toengage the articles to be coated near their opposite ends are a pair offeeding discs 10, H having equally spaced notches in their peripheriesfor engaging about For rotating the feeding discs at a speed slower thanthe peripheral speed of the drum 45, each feeding disc has a gear 12fixed thereto and adapted to be driven from a pinion 13 fixeditojan endof the shaft 40. For this purpose a counter shaft 14 is journaledthrough-a "sidel member of the frame If) and 7 15 has a pinion"15 fixedto one,

end thereof and adapted to be driven through the top. .face of thearticles.

an idler gear fixed to the opposite end of the shaft tion to engage thegear 12 fixed to the feeding -disc..- The :arrangementgistsuch that theperiphera'l'speed .of'the..drum--45 :is greater than the --speedlrof thefeedingdiscs. The shaft or pin articles to be coated rest upon the faceof the drum ""with :theirends rotatably supported in the .notchesofthefeeding discs-and the feeding discs rotate in a clockwisedirectionas-seen in Fig. 1, whereas theidrum 45 rotates in acounterclock- -wiseadirection at a higher surface speed, thereby causingthe articles to roll upon the face of the drum 'as they are conveyed bythe feeding discs :past the drum; For: removing thecoated ar--ticlesifrom the feeding discs, the pushing side of each notch in thefeeding disc is made substan- .itially.r'adial whereas the other side ofthe notch;

:isfinclinedso as to be substantially level at the delivery position and.at such delivery position theerails 3, 1-9 are inclined upwardly as at19a andextend' between the feeding discs in a posi- .tion to. receivethecoated .article as it arrives at the delivery'position.. Articlespositioned in the notches "0f the feeding xiiscs are delivered in .a;counterclockwise direction'in Fig. 1 about an upper arc 'of thecoating'drum 45v and at the delivery position contact theupwardly'turning;

-;rails:. along whichthey roll until; thevcontact :with theipins. 16 :ofthe chains I3, M at which positionatheyeclear the fnotchesi'of thefeeding disc. The articles! 1 are Tedto the coating 'drum by parallel-irai1s.:80:inclin'ed forwardly to permit= "the :articlestoi rolllfreelytoward the feeding --discs.'."

- 1' Eordelivering the articles one at a time in the notches .of thefeeding discs without interference ofotherkarticles an escapement mech-& .anism' is provided.- For this purpose cam plates -8l; 82are fixed tothe feeding discs 19, H respec- 16 from pinionJlS. pinion..." is

14, in positively and in additionto. limitinglateral movement ofthearticles .by contact with their ends,

are provided with .raised cam surfaces 83. Es--' capement fingers 84,-85 .on levers l03a,

the article.

are pivotally mounted H33 respectively near each end of Levers )3, 13a,pivotally mounted on shafts 81, 8.6 respectively, have cam engaging:rollers 88 89 adapted -.tobe raised and lowered by the cam surfaces.The larrangementis such that fingers 8 iand 85 are alternately raisedand lowered in the path of thearticlesl? by the cam surfaces and whenfingers 84 are lowered and fingers 85 simultaneously raised, as shown inFig.

4, the first article is released so that it is free to roll? intothefirst pair of oncomingnotches. of the feedingdisc, while the"following article is prevented from rolling by the fingersafl; and asthee. most advanced sarticle .-.l1:.-rolls:in'to the clined endsvZve'nience. theZeScapemerit-E fingers 84, 85 are hingedlyponnected tothe"levers' l'll3a', I03 and held toward the levers by coil springs 90,9! so "that the fingers and levers operate as though :made in one piecewith the exception that should the finger in being lowered contact withone of the-cylindrical articles I! the finger will not be brokenand the{machine jammed by reason of the raised cam surface forcing the fingersagainst In the operation of the apparatus, the oper- "atorplaces thearticle I! on the inclined rails 80,-from-which they are-released oneat-a time by the-escapement fingers 84, -85 in" timed rela- ..tion.wi-th the feeding discs sothat one article tdrum rollingcontacttherewithwhile the article receives va uniformv coating ofliquid. This .is facilitated by the fact that shafts orpins of the kindhereinvolved are usuallycylindrical, although the apparatus is usefulalsowith shafts of other than strictlycyli-ndrical shapes, for example.of. oval. cross-section. -After travelling about the upper face ofthe-coating=drum the articles rollfrom thenotches' of the feedingdiscsonto the inclined rail ends I911, down which they roll untilthey-contact'with pins [6 of the'chain. The pins iii are arranged onthechain so that they separatethe articles from contact witheach otherand eacharticle as itis delivered along the rails l8, I9 is coveredby aingii; before the next pair of pins l6 followarticlerolls down the inl9a of the rails. .is the articles are carried along the lower .reachofthe chains they .arekeptin engagementwith the rails I8, 19 until theyhave passed above the center of the sprockets on the shaft l2 whereuponthe-articles are lifted to the upper reach of thechains by the pins 16and are conveyed-along the upper reach, drying as theyprogress. --Nearthe end of the upper reach of the chains the articles are removed by theoperator.

To prevent. .reeentry ofv the articles into the notches ofthefeedingdiscs a pair of curved levers I00 are fixed to a rod llll pivoted on theframeof .the machine and normally hang in the path of the articles l1.Should these articles at tempt topassabout the shaft ll, levers Hill areraised rotating rod I01 and .a pair of levers I02,

Levers I03 are pivotally secured to fingers 85.

The arrangement is such that when levers I02 are raised, fingers 85 arelowered in the path of articles on the inclined rails;preventing-feeding of the-articlesfrom said. rails to the feeding discsandthereby preventing the entry of more .than onearticleinto onepair'of-notches :of the ,feeding discs. -.A- tension coil spring J05having one end secured to a lever 103 and the other end securedto theframe? of the machine normally :holds the lever I 02' in'sits loweredposition.

:In the operation-of the machine the-.contamer .BU-is-dnverted andplaced overlthe ,tankllawhich supports it. Liquid flows from thecontainer 60 to provide the bath 46. The hand wheel 55 is manipulated toraise the bath to provide the desired immersion of the coating drum 45and the motor 26 is started causing the feeding discs and the dryingconveyor to be set in operation. A supply of articles l1 are placed onthe rails 80 and are automatically fed one at a time to the escapementmechanism into the notches of the feeding discs. The feeding discsadvance the article in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1 and thearticles are free to rotate in the notches of the feeding disc undercontact of the liquid coated drum 45 which rotates in the oppositedirection at a higher speed. The articles thereby pick up a coating ofliquid about their cylindrical surfaces and are advanced to the deliveryposition where they escape from the notches of the feeding discs to theinclined rail portions i911 under the influence of gravity and rollingdown the inclined portion of the rails I8, [9 are stopped by contactwith the pins I6 of the conveyor chains. These pins cause the articlesto be advanced along the lower reach of the conveyor and elevate them tothe upper reach, the conveyor being of such extent that the liquidcoating is dried upon the articles as they advance there along, forminga coating thereon. At the upper reach of the drying conveyor thearticles are removed by a second operator.

While the invention is especially useful in the coating of cross pinsfor endless tracks, it may also be used for coating other rotatablearticles such as the shafts or cores of torsion springs for varioususes, wringer rolls, and other rubber covered rolls or the like.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the inventionas it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for coating rotatable articles, said apparatus comprising abody having a rotatable surface, means for continuously supplyingcoating material to said surface, rotatable means for advancing articlesin succession along the coated surface in rolling contact therewith,said means for advancing the rotatable articles comprising a pair ofperipherally notched feeding discs for rotatably engaging portions ofthe articles overhanging said surface, means for rotating said discs,and means for simultaneously rotating said body.

2. Apparatus for coating rotatable articles, said apparatus comprising abody having a rotatable surface, means for rotating the same, means forsupplying coating material to said surface, rotatable means foradvancing articles in succession along the coated surface in rollingcontact therewith, the advancing means including notched feeding discs,means for rotating said feeding discs in a direction opposite to thedirection of rotation of said surface, and means for conveying thearticles from said surface in succession and separated from contact witheach other to dry the coatings on the articles.

3. Apparatus for coating rotatable articles, said apparatus comprising abody having a rotatable surface, means for rotating the same, means forsupplying coating material to said surface, rotatable means foradvancing articles in succession along the coated surface in rollingcontact therewith, the advancing means including notched feeding discs,means for rotating said feeding discs in a direction opposite to thedirection of rotation of said surface, an inclined feeding tableterminating adjacent the peripheries of the feeding discs, escapementmeans for controlling movement of articles from the feeding table to thenotches in the discs, and means for conveying the articles from saidsurface in succession and separated from contact with each other to drythe coatings on the articles.

4. Apparatus for coating surfaces of rotatable articles, said apparatuscomprising a body having a rotatable surface, means for rotating saidbody in one direction, means for supplying coating material to saidsurface, rotatable means for advancing articles in succession along thecoated surface in the opposite direction and in rolling contacttherewith, and means for conveying the articles from said surface insuccession andseparated from contact with each other to dry the coatingson the articles, the means for advancing the articles from said surfacecomprising inclined rails having ends projecting in the path of thearticles on said surface and a conveyor having spacing pins forseparating articles on said rails.

5. Apparatus for coating surfaces of rotatable articles, said apparatuscomprising a body having a rotatable surface, means for rotating saidbody in one, direction, means for continuously supplying a liquidcoating material to said surface, rotatable means for advancing articlesin succession along the coated surface in the opposite direction and inrolling contact therewith, and means for advancing the articles insuccession from said surface and separated from contact with each otherto dry the coatings on the articles, the means for supplying liquid tosaid surface comprising a bath of the liquid coating material, means foradjusting the elevation of the bath to cause a portion of the rotatablesurface to be immersed therein, and means for maintaining the liquid inthe bath at a constant level.

WALDEMAR D. KMENTT.

